Naxos American Classics releases Four American Quartets on July 29 including string quartets by Glass, Antheil, Herrmann and Evans. Performed by the Fine Arts Quartet, the pieces on this disc represent the divergence of styles and manners that make up the whole of music composition in the twentieth century. Although none of the four composers are synonymous with the string quartet genre, they have all made distinct and personal contributions which we find on this recording.

Known more as a performer and leader of the Fine Arts Quartet than a composer Ralph Evans composed most of his String Quartet No. 1 between the years of 1966-1968 and finished it in 1995. The three-movement piece consists of rhythmic Moderato, intensely emotional Andante expressivo, and soulful and dancing Allegro scherzando sections. Philip Glass has written 8 string quartets, 3 of which were student works and have long been discarded. Glass’ String Quartet No. 2 was inspired by a theatrical presentation of Samuel Beckett’s prose poem “Company”. The quartet is organized in four short movements which demonstrate a high degree of thematic unity. String Quartet No. 3 by George Antheil is a larger scale work than his first two string quartets. The melodic piece is permeated by a folk music feel giving an indigenous, yet impersonal, musical texture. Rounding out the recording is Bernard Herrmann’s Echoes for String Quartet. Herrmann is remembered today mainly as a film composer. He wrote Echoes after having not composed classical orchestral music for 25 years. This piece, originally written as a ballet, spawned a string of new classical compositions composed in Herrmann’s last decade.

Founded in Chicago in 1946, the Fine Arts Quartet is one of the most distinguished ensembles in chamber music today, with an illustrious history of performing success and an extensive recording legacy. The Quartet, whose members are artists-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is one of the elite few to have recorded and toured internationally for over half a century. The Fine Arts Quartet’s complete Schumann Quartets CD on Naxos was selected for the 50th Grammy Awards Entry List (2008) in two categories: “Best Classical Album” and “Best Chamber Music Performance”. Special recognition was given for the Quartet’s commitment to contemporary music: a 2003-2004 national CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, given jointly by Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.